I have a friend who always starts with 1.d4, and plays a slow,
strategic game to win in the endgame. This takes a long time and it's
quite frustrating for me.

So here's my question. Do you have any offbeat gambits against 1.d4
that I could use to surprise my opponent? It doesn't have to be 100%
sound or anything, I just want to try something new and different.

Thanks
Toey

The direct gambits against 1.d4 are not very sound but maybe worth a
shot. You may look up: Budapest Defence, Albin Counter, von
Hennig-Schara, Englund.

You can strive for active play without going the gambit route: the
Dutch Defence, the Nimzo-Indian, the King's Indian, the ben-Oni
Defences (and relatives), the Benlo gambit, some versions of the
semi-Slave (although White has the exchange variations.)

wrote:
ben-Oni

This is more commonly written `Benoni', though Wikipedia says the name
comes from the Hebrew for `son of sorrow' so your version is probably
more historically accurate.


Benlo gambit [...] semi-Slave

`Benko gambit' and `semi-Slav'.

(I point these typos out not in order to deride ttw's very helpful
post but to help the original poster search for information on these
openings.)


Dave.

--
David Richerby Addictive Cheese (TM): it's like a
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ brick of cheese but you can never put
it down!

I have found that 1.d4 d5 followed by a quick ...c5 often leads to more open
games with lots of piece play.

"mike" wrote in message
...
I have found that 1.d4 d5 followed by a quick ...c5 often leads to more
open games with lots of piece play.

heh heh

42N83W wrote:
"mike" wrote in message
...
I have found that 1.d4 d5 followed by a quick ...c5 often leads to more
open games with lots of piece play.

heh heh

To me, 1. d4 used to mean locked pawns, where pieces jockey for ideal
positions for 30 moves and then an all-out tactical blitz ensues when
our clocks run low. it doesn't have to be that way--it can be tactical.

You don't have to change openings. As Mike said, a simple c5 early on
often opens up the game. dxc4 or any other pawn exchange will also do
the trick. If you really want a new opening, the QGD / Tarrasch Defense
uses the first move; the QGD / Slav Defense uses the second.